Transatlantic
by Bunnies Made Me Do It
Summary: Lisa/Jackson. Luxurious cruise ship on a 24-day transatlantic journey to Barcelona. What started out as a normal vacation turns sour when past comes knocking on Lisa's... cabin door?
1. Setting The Course

-

- TRANSATLANTIC -

CHAPTER 1: SETTING THE COURSE.

-

She stood on the balcony, steaming mug of strong coffee cradled in her small hands, as she looked out in front of her.

Blue.

Most pure hue of cerulean blue surrounded her. Wherever her eyes ventured. A strong, but soothingly cool breeze weaved itself into her long chestnut brown hair and seemed to play hide and seek with it for a while, tussling and caressing it with its soft touch.

Lisa's hand lazily moved the playful streaks off her eyes and around her ears in a futile attempt to tame them. Breeze seemed to take a slight offence and dove right back in with more determination.

Setting the cup down, she took off the scrunchie-turned-temporary -bracelet from her wrist and once and for all bound the disobedient locks. If Breeze could pout, it would do so at this point, but since it was but a wind, it moved to a different target, dancing with the colorful beach towels hanging loosely on the other balconies, before it disappeared altogether.

"Honey? Have you seen my aftershave?" Banging and drawer shuffling was heard from the bathroom in the suite and a minute later a face and a body came out looking like a lost puppy.

Lisa turned from the blissful sight and walked into the room looking at the man in question with a raised eyebrow.

"I swear this thing has something against me. I keep putting it in one place and it's totally gone five minutes later." The large towel-clad man muttered half to himself scratching his wet untamed mop.

"Maybe it's because you _think_ you put it in one place but you actually put it somewhere else, like... oh I don't know, the kitchen counter?" Lisa quipped, feigning shock.

Big man raised his eyebrows in disbelief. "Kitchen counter? How the hell did that get there?"

Lisa just shook her head as she walked over to the small counter and exchanged her cup for Adam's aftershave, holding it up with a bemused smile.

"Thanks babe. You rock my world." He took it from her kissing her cheek affectionately before disappearing back inside the steaming bathroom.

"Yep, that's me: Rocking Lisa. Whoo-hoo!" She accented her last word with fingers curled into a _"rock on"_ sign.

"You sure you don't want to come with?" he asked from the bathroom.

Lisa considered for a brief moment. It was only day two of their twenty-four day transatlantic cruise to Barcelona and she didn't really feel like starting it by sitting at the bar, observing her man frown at a deck of cards. She felt very, very bad the second the thought left her mind. _'God, I'm a horrible, horrible girlfriend.'_ she scolded herself mentally.

"Nah. I think I'll pass. I'm gonna go and _"rock-on" _by the pool for a while and then catch some rays."

Adam's head stuck out of the bathroom. "You sure? Cause I can always go tomorrow. We could spend the day together. Just... laying there... in the sun... doing... nothing..." His expression turned sour but he made a damn good job of hiding it.

Lisa kept from laughing. She had to give him points for trying though. It was actually cute how hard he tried not to sound bored by just talking about it.

"I'll be fine by myself. Besides I know how long you've waited for that. You deserve it. So go and have fun, ok? And no. You're not a bad boyfriend for abandoning me." she added seeing his worried expression. "I'm ordering you to go and have a blast."

He only needed to be told once. Shooting her a wide grateful grin, he popped his head back to the bathroom and emerged a few minutes later all dressed up and ready to take on the day.

Lisa waited for him with his wallet and a key card. "Try not to take all of their money on the first day, ok?" she said pushing him out of the door.

"Ha-ha. You slay me, babe."

At the doorstep, Adam turned abruptly and swooped her into his arms, eliciting a small squeak from the tiny brunette. "Did I tell you how much I love you today?" His husky voice in her ear sent shivers down her spine and she had to close her eyes to get herself under some sort of control.

She pretended to think this one over. "Not that I recollect."

His lips descended on her shoulder and he nipped at her soft flesh before biting into it playfully.

"That's for being a stinky little liar, Miss Reisert." Then he crashed his lips to hers in a possesive manner, leaving her breathless and vibrating with pure desire. "And that's for being the most amazing woman on the planet." And with that he left, smirking to himself when he heard her mutter _'teasing bastard'_ under her nose as she rubbed her still tingling shoulder.

-

-

-

The elevator pinged once and 'deck 11' light flashed overhead before the door swooshed open and Lisa stepped out onto the thick maroon carpeted floor. Beach bag hanging loosely from her shoulder she made her way through the corridor, her flip flops clapping against her feet. She pushed the heavy door open and putting on her sunglasses to shield her from the merciless rays of the mid-morning sun, Lisa stepped out and straight into the paradise.

-

"Good morning, Miss. Can I get you anything?"

As soon as she sat herself down on one of the deckchairs, a young man barely above twenty approached her, his crisp white apron almost blinding her with its sheer whiteness. Lisa was taken aback as she stared dumbly.

"Your bar is open already?" She blurted out before she could catch herself.

The waiter flashed her his pearly whites. "We're off-shore, Miss. International waters. Normal rules don't apply. You can get anything, anytime, anywhere. All you have to do is ask." he explained, grinning conspiratory.

Lisa found herself smiling back. Now this was more like it. "Allright." she acknowledged approvingly. "How about a Seabreeze?"

The young man's lips quirked into a knowing smile and much to Lisa's surprise he bowed low before her, eyes never leaving her face. "Your wish is my command, my lady."

He disappeared for a moment and then he was back and bowing low presenting her with a reddish-orange drink litterally on a silver platter.

Lisa laughed out loud at his theatrics and accepted nodding her head in obvious admiration and aproval.

"My name is Daniel. Please don't hesitate to ask if you need anything at all." He offered, eyes lingering on hers a bit too long than necessarry.

In the next five hours and three Seabreezes later- courtesy of ever-present Daniel - Lisa bathed twice in the refreshing waters of the crystal blue pool and almost managed to burn the skin off her back when she fell asleep. She blamed the latter on the alcohol - it always made her sleepy. But all-in-all, the day couldn't have been more perfect.

-

-

-

Lisa was lost.

Her second day aboard the cruise ship and she was already lost. It was her own fault of course. Her nagging need to 'explore'. That and the humming presence of sweet Seabreezes in her system. Hence the idea of 'exploration'. _Should've gone with Adam._ she muttered to herself as she rounded yet another corner in vain search for an elevator or someone to guide her to one.

Where in the world was she?

What had started out as an innocent walk around the ship - _hmm, wonder what hides behind this door - _she thought to herself as she stepped through. The door closed behind her with a loud click and would not open. _Only way out is forward _– turned into a full on self-rescue mission.

Countless decks later and about the same amount of corners-turned-corridors -turned-more-damn-corners Lisa was positive she was lost. Not one soul passed her all the time she's been wandering. Which was a bit weird considering the ship held over five hundred passengers, third of which consisted of the crew itself. She remembered passing the door marked 'engine room' about half an hour ago - _I must be somewhere near the bottom, _she mused to herself. Then more bare, white-painted corridors followed.

Staircase.

Lisa grinned satisfied.

It was short-lived.

It led only one deck above but it was better than staying way down there, where she could hear - or so she was telling herself - the ocean waves crashing against the metal that made for the walls.

Crew headquarters followed. Of course with no one in plain sight. _Do they ALL have to work at the same time?_ she grumbled to herself as she made her way through yet another corridor.

_An elevator! At last!_

Almost running she punched the button to call the contraption down and waited.

Patiently.

_Finally!_

Door opened. Lisa jumped in and leaned her head against the cool metal surface of the service elevator.

_Saved! _

_Never again._

Flip-flop feet tapped unawares against bare green laminate as the heavy machinery made its way upwards to take her away and whisk her back to the paradise.

The elevator stopped once.

Not where she wanted it to.

_Ping_.

Door opened.

Lisa blinked.

Jackson blinked back.

Then she opened her mouth.

He moved like a lightning, clamping his hand over her open mouth and shoving her back into the elevator and didn't stop until her whole being shook from the impact as her sun-burned back hit the cool metal.

The door swooshed closed with a familiar '_ping_'.

The contraption resumed its slow ascend back to the civilization.

-

He stared.

Completely gobsmacked at the sight before him he stared openly not even trying to hide his obvious shock.

_Lisa_.

She was here. Why was she here? After all this time? She should not have been here. Questions raced through his mind as he tried to focus - _FOCUS!_ - but he couldn't, because Lisa - _Leese_ - stood right before him, mere inches from his face, here large green eyes blinking rapidly, staring back curiously.

She was even more gorgeous than he remembered.

-

She wasn't scared. It surprised her. Maybe because her brain hasn't really started to process what her eyes were seeing.

_Jackson?_

No. It couldn't be. Her mind was playing tricks on her. She was tired from wandering the lonely corridors and she was seeing things.

_You're dead. They told me you died. There was a funeral..._

His eyes... So pale. Almost crystalline.

_So pretty... So familiar..._

She felt him press closer. Felt his heart slamming wildly in his chest.

_You're here. You're real._

Her mind was slowly catching up. And so was her body.

_You can't be. _

_No. _

_No, no no... There was a funeral!_

_I know! I was... I SAW!!_

Panic started setting in.

_Close. Too close. Can't breathe..._

She felt dizzy. Her head was spinning.

_No no no no... not again. Please God... _

_Can't cry... Won't let you see me cry... not again..._

_So, so tired..._

-

He felt her chest against his own - _when did I __get so close to her?_ - starting to raise and fall unnaturally quickly, her heart hammering through the soft fabric of her dress and vibrating right through his own shirt and joining his own in a twisted dance.

The elevator started slowing down, approaching its destination. Loud voices just outside the door. Laughing.

Sharp intake of breath followed by something wet dripping on his fingers resting still on Lisa's mouth.

Tears.

Jackson stared transfixed, trying to will his mind into thinking.

_She knows! Can't let her go! STOP HER!_

Elevator stopped.

All-too familiar sound of ping shattered around them letting him know he was out of time.

_Do something!_

Before he had a chance to act Lisa beat him to the punch by folding like a wilted flower in his hands; unconsciousness finally claiming her oxygen-deprived body.

The door swooshed open.

Four waiters and two waitresses stared at the man cradling the girl in his arms like a gentle concerned lover would.

-


	2. Blast From The Past

Chapter 2: Blast From The Past

-

-

Jackson kicked the door shut with his foot as he carried unconscious Lisa through his penthouse suite to the bedroom. His mind was reeling. Once he snapped out of his self-induced trance he could not stop thinking. His head hurt. He needed a drink.

Depositing Lisa on his king-sized bed he stood over her watching transfixed for a moment as her chest rose and fell slowly, stretching the thin white fabric of her short beach dress. She changed a lot during the last four years since he saw her. Her hair was longer, darker (she's gone back to her natural chestnut brown color), her skin tanned, a bit too red (_must have sunburn_). She stirred and Jackson panicked for a brief moment caught off-guard.

His breath stilled within him as he waited for her to wake up, but she did not. _'Get yourself together, Jackson'_ he scolded himself and stalked off to the salon angry at himself for acting so jumpy. He was a professional for god's sake. Right now he acted like a goddamn rookie.

He came back a moment later, bottle of Gold Label in one hand, half-filled glass in the other, and sat in the chair by the window observing the sleeping woman. Two glasses of scotch later he was able to think straight again.

Lisa was here. He had no idea how it was possible. By any standard she should not be able to be here. For once, it was too expensive. _'Maybe she's here with someone who is rich enough.'_ Second, the trip originated in New York City. Why would she come all the way to The City if she could take a similar one from Miami? _'Maybe she lives in The City now?'_ Anything was possible. It's been four years.

Jackson let out a frustrated sigh. This was ridiculous. He needed to gain back the control. He needed answers. He needed a plan. She knew he was alive. That could prove to be problematic if she decided to run yapping to the cops. He wasn't too worried about it, he had it pretty much covered when he _'died'_, but he didn't want to take chances either. He would have to have a little chat with Miss Reisert.

But first things first.

Digging through the drawers he pulled out a strawberry red belt, stretching it between his hands and snapping it a few times, testing its durability - _this should do_ - and made his way to the bed . Leaning over her still sleeping form, he gathered her hands and put them above her head, securing them tightly to the headboard.

Something flashed in the corner of his eye as he was about to move back into his seat.

He stopped mid-stride. Turned his head slowly.

There.

There it was again. Sparkling just above Lisa's head.

Curiosity took the best of him and he strode back to the bed. Leaning over, he brought his head closer for inspection.

On Lisa's fourth finger sparkled a small diamond. At least he thought it was a diamond. He couldn't really tell, it was so small. Leaning even closer he squinted as he tried to take a better look. He took her hand and turned it slightly. Almost there, a bit more...

A sharp intake of breath and he froze in place, eyes shifting to the face of the woman on the bed.

Lisa was awake and staring at him with wide panicked eyes.

-

He didn't even realize how close he's gotten to her when he tried to get a glimpse of the ring. Now, his hand frozen in place on her own, he stared down at her slightly embarrassed at being caught red handed. As soon as he felt it, the emotion passed and Jackson smirked his all-too-familiar smirk.

"So, who's the lucky fella?"

Lisa opened her mouth and let out a piercing scream, which was cut off a mere second later by Jackson's hand.

He tsked at her shaking his head in disapproval.

"Now, now, Lisa. There will be none of that. I don't want to have to gag you. But I'm so glad you're awake. I have questions I need answered."

Lisa promptly started trashing, trying to get her hands free.

"Stop it. You're going to hurt yourself." He chided her like a child.

She whimpered as the thin leather cut into the skin, leaving an angry red mark on her wrist.

"Lisa." Jackson barked voice strong and commanding. "I said. Stop It."

He was shocked when she actually complied. Momentarily thrown in for a loop he stared at her still form. She was glaring at him. Oh, if looks could kill. _'Gain back the control.'_

Taking a deep breath he made sure he had her full attention before he spoke. "Now, I am going to remove my hand and I trust you will be a good little girl and stay quiet. Right?"

She looked at him pointedly giving him the _'you have GOT to be shitting me'_ look.

Jackson sighed. "Lisa. Please. Don't make me do something I don't want to do. I just want to talk. The sooner you comply the faster we can get this over with."

She seemed to think about it for a bit then nodded in agreement.

Jackson carefully removed his hand. Lisa remained quiet.

Standing up he began pacing the room thinking intensely, then abruptly stopped and turned to her. She was watching him with a steady careful look.

He looked so different from the Jackson she remembered. He stood before her dressed casually in a pair of faded jeans hanging loosely on his narrow hips and a form-fitting grey t-shirt that nicely accented his slim athletic body. He let his hair grow out a bit more too. It was longer than she remembered, bangs framing his icy-blue eyes and the ends curing slightly at the nape of the neck. He looked good. More than good. He looked mighty fine. And he looked so normal Lisa momentarily forgot who he really was. A cold-blooded killer. She scowled at herself for even thinking about him.

"Sooo," he stretched playfully flashing her his famous charming smirk. "How have you been?"

Lisa narrowed her eyes and promptly flipped him off.

"Ok. Ok. No need for the hand gestures. I was just trying to be polite."

"Are you going to kill me?"

He blinked. Another choke on his part. "What?"

"Are. You. Going. To. Kill. Me."

"Well, I hope it won't come to that. It all depends on you actually. You caught me a bit off guard I have to admit, showing up like you did. I haven't been expecting to see you ever again, but here you are. So-" he paused thinking carefully over his next words. "Are you going to play nice this time or do I have to slip into my manager suit?"

Lisa fixed him with an evil glare, then started wriggling free from her restrains.

Stubborn little girl. He all but rolled his eyes at her determination. "Leese, please. Stop doing that. It's tight enough. I made sure."

She glanced over her head to inspect it. Keeping her hands together was a thin red women's belt. So either Jackson was gay or he had a lady friend over who left in quite a haste. _'Oh God. I am laying on Jackson's sex-bed. Eww!!'_

Jackson grinned noticing her obvious discomfort as she tried to scoot as far to the edge as her restrains allowed. Oh, he knew what she was thinking. "I know it's no handcuffs, but it's not like I came prepared. I had to make due with whatever was laying around."

"You're disgusting."

Shrugging he shoved his hands deep into the pockets of his jeans. "I'm just but a man, sweetheart."

"Untie me."

The demand she voiced was so simple and obvious it took him a moment to come up with an answer. He blinked utterly taken aback. "Are you serious?"

"My wrists hurt." Lisa made a point of tugging at her restraints and winced in pain when they cut into her already chaffed flesh.

Jackson looked concerned for a moment, eyeing his handiwork. Maybe he tied it too tight? He was hesitating. "Answer my questions first then we'll negotiate your... release."

"I'm not answering anything until you untie me." Lisa stated curtly.

"Why are you here?"

"Why aren't you dead?"

"Who are you here with?"

"How did you manage to escape?"

"Does anyone else know?"

"Who are you here to kill?"

Jackson let out a frustrated growl and started pacing again. God! She hasn't changed a bit! If anything, she was even more stubborn than before. And a lot more brave. Running a hand through his long locks he all, but tugged at them in annoyance.

"Why are you being so goddamn difficult?"

"Go to hell."

A white flip flop bounced off his chest and landed softly on the floor by his feet. He stared at it in mild fascination.

"You've changed." He remarked changing the subject so dramatically Lisa was momentarily confused.

"So have you." It was out of her mouth before she finished thinking it.

Jackson let himself for a small smile. "You look good with long hair." He found himself saying.

_'So do you.'_ Thankfully that one never went past her lips.

Bending down, he picked up her flip flop and went to the foot of the bed. The second he touched her ankle she kicked at him wildly, loosing her second flop in the process.

"Don't touch me!" She managed to land a swift kick to his chest knocking the breath out of him for a short period.

Eyes narrowed in anger as he pounced on her. "Lisa. LISA. Stop it." He commanded, blindly trying to catch at her flailing limbs.

She managed to push him off of her and onto the floor at the foot of the bed, then quickly scrambled to the head of the bed, curling into a tight little ball. He was on his feet again in less than a second and grabbing her ankles, stretching her back to her original position. The dress rode up until it was neatly bunched at her waist flashing him with a blinding white bikini bottom and uncovering a small belly button framed by firm tummy. His eyes slid downwards to a one fine pair of golden-tanned legs.

"Oh my God." A soft whispered cry of mortification.

"I swear, that one was not planned."

"Maybe you could say that again WITHOUT THAT STUPID SHIT-EATING GRIN ON YOUR FACE!" Mortification turned into pure utter anger.

Was he grinning? He hadn't noticed. He busied himself with fixing his t-shirt back in place after their little unexpected romp, not paying a slight attention to the little red-faced brunette currently glaring daggers at him. "Well, you gotta admit, this is quite a funny turn of events."

Oh, she was mad.

"I hate you. I hateyouIhateyouIHATEYOU!" She screamed at the top of her lungs. "Fix me." A short and to the point demand.

Jackson's grin never faded as he lifted his head to look at the girl. "Excuse me? What was that?"

Lisa's clenched her teeth until her jaw hurt. He was going to make her beg. Bastard. No way she was going to do that. Turning her head from him in defiance she showed him exactly what she thought of it.

"OK then." Hands dove into the pockets of his jeans again and then was moving away from the bed and walking off to the living room whistling softly. _No. No no NO! I HATE YOU!_

"Fix my dress, please."

Jackson turned raising a surprised eyebrow. "_Now_ you want me to touch you?"

Lisa was fuming.

He seemed to be thinking hard about it, fingers absentmindedly drumming on his lower lip. "Hmm.. I don't know. Are you going to kick me in the face the second I come close?"

"Why don't you come close and find out." She grinned.

Jackson resumed his walking away.

"No! No come back! I'll be good!"

Blank stare.

Lisa rolled here eyes. "I promise."

He looked at her hard. Seeming satisfied he came back over to the foot of the bed and bracing himself on one knee he loomed over her for a moment before reaching for the garment. Lisa flinched involuntarily when his hands brushed her hips as he grabbed the rim of her white dress and started pulling it down and over her form. That done, he stepped back and watched her for a moment.

"Thank you."

He nodded mutely hands shoved back deep into the pockets. He looked almost embarrassed, but strangely confident, Lisa thought as she tried not to be affected by the way he was looking at her. It seemed too personal. And it made her very uncomfortable.

Awkward silence descended upon them, almost suffocating in its presence. Lisa squirmed a bit trying to find a more comfortable place. Her sunburned back started to hurt from all the aggravation it endured and she whimpered when the red belt cut into her wrists yet again.

She almost jumped out of her skin when she felt Jackson's fingers touch her bruised skin and then he was gently tugging at the makeshift restrains and releasing her aching wrists.

"Sit." He ordered curtly, then disappeared into the adjacent bathroom for a moment. Before the thought of escape crossed Lisa's mind he was back, dumping various medical supplies on the thick carpeted floor next to him, and kneeling in front of her dumbfounded person.

When his hands touched hers again she yanked them away, only to have them pulled back again by a slightly pissed off Jackson.

"Don't fight me, Leese. I'm not in the mood." He said quietly, sounding almost tired as he said so. Then he proceeded to check her wrists for an injury, turning them slowly and delicately in his hands before reaching next to him for an antiseptic and a gauze.

Lisa sat back stiffly and very uncomfortable. This was just too weird for words.

"Ouch!" Hands flew to her chest cradling them protectively.

"Give me your hands back." Jackson ordered.

"You're hurting me!"

"Leese." He growled, his patience slowly seeping away from him. "I need to fix those. Don't want the big scary man to come raising hell cause I hurt his woman." He added smirking.

Lisa rolled her eyes. "Shut up." Pouting she extended her wrists back to him and watched him work on her injuries in silence for some time.

"So when's the big day?"

Lisa remained silent.

More uncomfortable - at least for her - silence followed and Lisa found herself gnawing on her lip.

"He would, you know?"

"Eh, pardon?"

" _'The Big Scary Man' _" she quoted. "He would come and beat the crap out of you if he knew. He's a cop." _Shut up. Don't say anything! He's going to twist it and use it against you!_

"A cop?" Jackson feigned shock complete with gasp and a hear to the heart. "Oh my. I better run and hide. Do I have the time to pack or should I just go ahead and jump into the lifeboat and start rowing?"

Lisa scowled. And huffed. "Asshole."

"Oh, come on, Leese. You handed this one on a silver platter." He laughed shaking his head in clear amusement.

"So how did you two meet? Last time I saw you, you were one step short of 'man-phobic' and now you're shacking up with one? Dr. Phil would be proud."

She chose to ignore that question too and Jackson sighed, but gave up nonetheless. All in good time.

One hand disinfected and patched, he moved onto the other, repeating the process. Lisa, too confused by his soft gentle touch let him.

"Are- Why are you here?" She cringed at the mid-choke. _Please don't say it. Please. Prove me wrong._

A knowing smile formed on his lips. "If this is your way of asking if I am here on business then the answer is _'no'_. Believe it or not, but we have vacation too."

A very unladylike snort made him lift his head up from his current task in time to catch Lisa roll her eyes. "Yeah, right. You're here on vacation. Please. Don't insult my intelligence."

"Wouldn't dream of it." He grinned.

"So you're really here just... relaxing?" A skeptic glance.

"Yep." _Liar._

Lisa sighed not quite ready to accept the given answer. "This is so bizarre. Of all the places, it had to be on the cruise ship." She muttered gnawing on her lower lip. Karma had a funny way of getting back at them both.

"Tell me about it." He sighed, putting her other hand down and gathering all the leftovers from the floor as he straightened up to his full almost six foot length. "Listen. As far as I'm concerned, this it a very unfortunate and unwelcome coincidence that we're both here. But we are. I'm not too fond of it either, but like it or not, we are stuck together for the next three weeks and we will, no doubt be bumping into each other, so at least we could try and be civil to one another. And maybe - _maybe_ - we will both get out of it in one piece-"

"And never see each other again?" She looked up at him with a raised eyebrow.

He grinned nodding slightly. "Right. My thoughts exactly." _Lies! He's going to kill you the second you get off the ship. You know he's alive. You're a liability. _

Lisa checked for the work he's done on her injured wrists and huffed disappointed. Damn, he knew what he was doing. She couldn't even yell at him for that. Damnit. "And I'm supposed to believe that you will stay out of my way and not try to murder me in my sleep?"

"As long as you stay out of my way and try not to murder me in mine, I figure we should be peachy." A loud clatter as various supplies got carelessly dumped on the small table by the veranda door.

"What? No sudden urge for revenge?"

Jackson turned to Lisa a small smile forming on his lips. "Revenge is for weak people, Leese. I am above that. Besides, if I wanted that I would have done it a long time ago."

"What was that at my dad's house then?! Cause it sure didn't feel like you dropped by for milk and cookies!" She was getting annoyed again.

"Ah, that. Yeah, I'm not too proud of that, truth to be said. It was unprofessional and it came back to bite me in the ass." He actually managed to look slightly ashamed.

Lisa was beyond confused. Who was this man? He felt a little like _'Tex-Mex Jackson'_ but she knew better. He was a cunning, manipulating bastard who had only one thing in mind and that was his own ass and interests. _He's going to kill you!_ _Run. Go to the captain, tell him everything, make Jackson go away. RUN!_

Lisa bent over and whimpered in pain clutching her stomach protectively.

"Lisa? Leese. What's going on?" He was on her in an instant, kneeling in front of her small form, hand on her shoulder and concern lacing his words. _Lies. Lies lies LIES!!!_ _He doesn't care! He will kill you if you don't run NOW!_

With every ounce of strength she could muster Lisa pushed Jackson back, sending him flat on his back, then jumping off the bed, she ran. Through the bedroom door to the living room - _where am I? Where's the door?_ - past the open kitchen and to the foyer - _the door? Where IS IT?_ - past another bedroom and then - _YES!_ - there it was. Just few more feet. Hand on the doorknob. And then the wind was knocked out of her when a slim body crashed to her and slammed her face-first into the heavy door.

Lisa whimpered in pain.

"Lisa, Lisa, Lisa." He breathed heavily into her ear, keeping her tightly pressed in between his own body and the door. "And we were doing so good." Disappointment.

She tried not to show her fear. Instead she retaliated with sarcasm. "Oh come on, Jackson. You _HAD_ to know I would do that."

She could actually _feel_ him grin into her ear, lips brushing against her hot skin as he spoke. "Oh, I did. I was fully expecting it. But really, the old _'feign sickness-push-and-run'_? That's so... unimaginative. I must say I am disappointed. I thought you'd be more inventive."

Another hard push. Lisa bit back a groan as a white hot pain shot through her. "Sorry. You have to forgive me, I am a bit rusty in that field. I'll do better next time."

"I'm sure you will." A hand on her hair, caressing it with a soft touch.

He turned her to face him, slamming her back hard against the wooden surface. Her sunburned back screamed in protest. Tears prickled at the corners of her eyes, but she refused to give in.

"Oh Leese. What am I going to do with you." He sighed, caressing her face delicately, almost lovingly. "All this time I've been nothing but civil to you yet you insist on fighting me. Why do you do that, Leese?" His bipolarity would be alluring if it wasn't directed solely on her. Lisa felt a sparkle of fear ignite within her. He was getting unpredictable.

"You know why, Jack." She referred to his earlier question. No need to beat around the bush now.

He smiled then. Sad disappointed, but slowly accepting smile. "I do. I do. And it makes me sad. Because I thought we could get this worked out, but you had to go and fuck it up yet again. Stupid girl." He cradled her head in his hands delicately as not to crush her - a complete opposite of what his whole body was doing to hers right now. "You want to do it your way? Fine then. We'll do it your way. Sweet dreams, Leese."

Before she had a chance to ask what he meant his eyes had gone icy cold and the hold on her head tightened. Then he slammed her head back against the door with a loud thud.

For the second time in the last half an hour Lisa Reisert sunk heavily into his arms.

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	3. The Perfect Plan

A/N: I used an offensive term in this chapter. I thought long and hard about it, even asked my lovely beta if I should use it. In the end we decided that it fits. I apologize if I offended anyone. I meant nothing by it.

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Chapter 3: The Perfect Plan

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Rhythmic tap, tap, tapping on the keyboard interrupted by an occasional hum of a printer slowly brought Lisa back to consciousness. She didn't need to open her eyes to recognize the sounds. She could tell them in her sleep.

"Aspirin's next to the bed on the table," Jackson informed her curtly, not even bothering to look up from the computer screen.

Lisa groggily lifted herself from the bed wincing at the pain. Her hand reached out to the back of her head to feel for any kind of injury, and Jackson beat her to it yet again by announcing that there was none; he checked.

She regarded him as she tried to massage the pain away. He was sitting in the chair by the veranda door, laptop open on the table in front of him, printer attached and humming with life. He wore small rectangular glasses and he looked so un-Jackson, for the lack of a better word, that Lisa found herself staring flabbergasted yet again. His eyes never left the screen as he typed on his computer, seeming completely immersed in what he was doing.

"How long was I out?" she asked flinching as the printer screeched, producing another page. She popped the cap from the bottle and took out two – no, three – pills, swallowing them with a glass of water.

"A little over an hour," he mumbled, frowning at the screen.

She nodded, thinking about her situation and how exactly she got herself into this mess. Was it her fault? She only acted in self-defense. Anyone in his right mind would do the same.

A black folder landed neatly in her lap.

Confused, Lisa looked up to find Jackson standing above her, arms folded across his chest, as he watched her with a steady, indifferent look.

"What's that?"

"It's something I've been working on," he explained matter-of-factly. "Go ahead, open it."

Ignoring the little voice in her head that screamed at her not to do it, she lifted the black cover and her eyes widened as they roamed over the contents.

"What-" she gulped, swallowing the lump that lodged itself in her throat, "what is that?" It meant to come out stronger, but it was barely above whisper.

"This, my dear Lisa, is my insurance. Not much, but I only just started working." He shrugged.

With trembling hands she flipped the pages, one after another. Adam's police record, Adam's face on his driver's license, Adam's social security number, Adam's various bank accounts complete with statements, Adam's birth certificate… The pages seemed to never stop.

Jackson moved back to the table and picked up a freshly printed page, handing it to Lisa.

A gasp, and the page fluttered to the floor.

"Don't be so melodramatic, Leese." He picked it back up and dropped it into her lap. "Read it." The command in his voice was strong and icy cold.

Lisa shook her head, unable to form words. She would not cry.

"Read it!"

Startled, she picked up the discarded piece of paper and read. It was a criminal sheet from the FBI database with Adam's name on it. Next to his picture was a long detailed information about his description, and below the list of crimes that he allegedly committed. Lisa closed her eyes and shook her head.

"Read it all."

And she did. The list went on and on. Embezzlement, two counts of extortion, fraud, assault/battery, drug distribution. Lisa stopped after the child pornography. This was not happening. Jackson was messing with her head. Anyone with a basic knowledge of PhotoShop could do that in fifteen minutes.

Jackson observed her with an icy look, face devoid of any emotion. "I know what you're thinking and I assure you that this is very much real… well, as real as I made it anyway." he confirmed her fears by bringing her the laptop and setting it on her lap. Few clicks and he was on the official FBI page where, true to his word, Adam's face graced the 'Ten Most Wanted' list.

Her hand drifted to the screen unconsciously and stopped mid-air, hovering over Adam's picture. Lisa blinked back the tears.

"How-" _How did you do it? How __**could**__ you do it?_

Jackson smiled as he closed the laptop and put it away on the table. He turned to her, hands casually in the pockets, and regarded her. Her brave façade was gone, ripped to shreds by a few simple clicks of a mouse. He let himself relish in the thought that he, Jackson-fucking-Rippner, had done it to her, and in less than an hour. God, he was good.

"Well, it's not as simple as you might think, but when one knows what one's doing, it's no biggie really. I'm nowhere near done, mind you. I am just warming up," he added conspicuously.

Her head snapped up to his eyes so quickly that he thought she might get a whiplash.

"You see, this-" he pointed at the folder and the lonely page, "is to ensure that you don't go running to the nearest authority telling on me. It's unfortunate that we met here, like I mentioned before. I tried to make a deal with you, yet you refused, so I had to take necessary measures to ensure my well being for the reminder of the trip. Are you with me so far?" he questioned when he noticed her far away look.

When she nodded mutely, he continued. "Good girl. So, to make sure you don't go telling on good ol' Jack I had to have a leverage on you. Threatening you… well, we both know how _that_ _one_ ended," he smiled remembering. "So naturally, your hero came next. And by the way, Leese, you forgot to mention that your fiancé is an _ex_ cop." He picked up the discarded folder, looking for the information. "Hmm, injured while on duty, permanent disability discharge since October… wow, two thousand two," he feigned shock. "It's OK, I forgive you this little slip up. It happens to the best of us," he said, twinkle in his sinister eyes.

"But let me finish telling you my big plan. I'm sure you're just dying to know what I'm up to." He grinned when she shot him a look filled with pure hatred. "I wrote Adam's criminal record. It's all there in the database. Only I can wipe it clean. Something happens to me, and the second your hero flashes his passport, the cops will be on him like a fatty on a birthday cake. And it's not gonna be a pretty sight, I can assure you. With a record like his, the cops will be tripping over themselves to get to him, and beat his child-molesting ass.

So it's in your best interest to keep me all safe and sound until we step off this ship. I go first, you make sure he leaves last. When I'm in the clear I wipe his record clean and you and your little crime fighter can go your merry way. What do you think Leese? You can be my little personal bodyguard." He almost laughed out loud when he saw her shocked face. "Oh come on, don't be such a party pooper. It'll be fun!"

A loud knock on the door almost made Lisa jump out of her skin.

"Ah, that would be my dinner. Hold on."

Jackson left the bedroom and Lisa too the opportunity to glance at his unattended laptop. Her mind was reeling from the overload of information. There had to be a way out of this! She simply refused to be played by one Jackson Rippner again. Maybe if she could-

"Stealing my laptop won't do you any good. There's nothing on it." Jackson walked back to the bedroom and sat the tray of food on the table.

Lisa felt a momentary heat flood her cheeks. Caught red handed before she even had a chance to act! "I wasn't-"

"I uploaded it all to the website," he ignored her stuttering and popped a piece of seafood into his mouth. "Sorry, but since you made me work I am going to miss my dinner. Calamari?" he offered politely, then shrugged when she shook her head 'no'. "All you'll find on this baby is some pictures and a few movies. Nothing exciting really. Go ahead, have a look." He opened the computer and tilted it towards her, pointing a piece of fried calamari at the screen. "Go on. Don't be shy."

Lisa carefully stepped up to the table, eyeing the man sitting beside her, casually munching on his fried seafood.

Jackson rolled his eyes at her sudden display of insecurity and leaned towards her, clicking on various icons. Some pictures; not too much, a couple of movies; like he said, a folder with music, 'Batman Vengeance'_ - a game?_ - Lisa quirked an eyebrow at that one.

"Yeah, I don't know how that got there," he explained sheepishly, quickly closing that folder. "So you see, nothing here," he quickly summarized, concluding the topic of his laptop closed.

"Now, if you don't mind, I have more work to do." He got up, and grabbing her by the elbow, escorted her to the door. "Why don't you go and work on those tan lines or something. And try not to think about it too much. There's nothing that you can do. It's out of your hands this time."

Lisa, again taken aback by his sudden change in attitude, let herself be pushed outside and into the corridor.

"I'll be seeing you." And then the door promptly closed in her face.

-

Lisa ran. She didn't care that she attracted attention. All she cared was getting to Adam and making sure he was OK. When she saw him lounging at the casino bar, seeping on his regular whiskey on the rocks, she almost cried out in relief.

Running to him, she plastered herself into his back, holding on for dear life.

"What the-" Adam looked down at the hands squeezing the life out of him and then behind him to the girl wheezing into his back. "Lisa? What on _earth_- are you OK?"

She only let him turn around before her arms enveloped his bulky form again.

"Babe. You're starting to scare me. What's going on? " He lifted her chin and looked her straight in the eyes, worry lacing his words. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

Lisa wanted to laugh at his choice of words. – _Oh Adam, if you only knew!_ – Instead she nuzzled his hand and sighed deeply when he pulled her closer to him.

"I love you."

"I love you too, babe."

"Tell me again how much I rock your world?" she mumbled into his chest.

Adam laughed deeply in his chest and Lisa's whole body vibrated. "Why don't we get out of here and I'll show you exactly how much you rock my world?" The promise behind his voice made Lisa's knees weak and she momentarily forgot how bad her day was.

As he led her through the door of the casino he glanced down at her bare feet, frowning slightly. "Where in the world are your shoes?"

Lisa chose not to answer that one.

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_Day three_, Lisa mentally counted while sipping her morning coffee on the balcony of their suite.

Three days ago, hand-in-hand with her gorgeous fiancé, she stepped onto one of the most luxurious ship the world had to offer, expecting nothing but pure, unadulterated pleasure. The ship provided everything she could imagine and then some.

She remembered surprising Adam with the trip.

She remembered how surprised she was when she got handed the tickets. An early wedding gift from the management of The Plaza in New York City, where she lived for some time now. She tried to explain that her and Adam were only engaged, with no evident wedding date set; tried to return the lavish gift, but they all flatly refused.

So she had no other choice, but to accept. Adam has been beside himself with joy when he read the brochure. His eyes roamed over the fine details of the trip, the luxuries the ship promised. Twenty-four days of sea journey to Spain, with a two-day stop in the Azores. Then a full week in Barcelona.

Then two days into the trip _he_ had to show up. _He_, who Lisa thought long dead. It kept her up most of the night. She puzzled over how he actually managed to pull off his own death.

_They made me come to identify his body, for god's sake!_

Lisa shuddered as the memory came back. It had been one of he most uncomfortable days in her life. Seeing Jackson, pale and unmoving on the coroner's stainless steel table. His lower half modestly covered in white sterile sheet. She stared for a long time. Couldn't quite believe it.

He's been doing great in the hospital, recovering quickly, then one day he was gone. Just like that.

His body was found two days later. Shot in the back. Execution-style.

Then the funeral. She came. She was the only one there. She bid him goodbye, laying Jackson to rest along with her fears.

New Lisa was born on the day they buried Jackson Rippner.

_How did he manage to pull it off? _

And now he was here. And she was back where she promised herself to never be again: at his mercy. What scared her most about it was that this time she couldn't do absolutely anything about it. It was out of her hands, just like he told her. To keep her where he wanted her, he had to have the control of the situation. And that's exactly what he had now. Complete control.

"What are you doing up so early, babe?" Adam came from behind and wrapped his arms around his fiancée, giving her a morning peck on the top of her head.

Lisa snapped back to reality and leaned back against the man, drawing strength from his presence. "Couldn't sleep." She shrugged sipping on her now-cold coffee. She made a face at the stale taste and set the cup back on the railing.

Large hands started kneading the muscles in her shoulders and she let out a soft sigh, content, and let herself close her eyes for a brief moment. This was good. This was what she needed.

Adam seemed to read her mind. "You look tense. Maybe you should check out that spa place you've been raving about."

Lisa's eyebrow quirked in mild amusement. "First I rock, now I rave? Wow, I'm a regular party animal."

Adam rolled his eyes. "You, my dear, are a regular comedian. But really, you should go and do that thing you girls do there. Pimp yourself good and proper and have a blast."

"Yeah, yeah. Just tell me that you want to go to the casino and leave you the heck alone," she countered, a sparkle of mischief in her eyes.

The look on his face was worth it. He sputtered as he tried to backtrack and Lisa just _had_ to laugh. It was too comical not to.

"Don't sweat it, big boy. I was just playing with you."

He glared at her. "Oh, you're evil."

She shrugged mutely, going back to gazing at the vast blue ocean. The idea of a day in spa sounded delicious. Maybe she should check it out. God only knew how badly she needed to relax. And maybe – _maybe_ – she would be able to get Jackson out of her head for a little bit.

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End file.
